CHaRM Guidelines and Fees

Eco-Cycle charges a $3 fee for every vehicle coming to the Eco-Cycle/City of Boulder Center for Hard-to-Recycle Materials (CHaRM) to recycle materials. The fee is in addition to the recycling fees that apply to specific materials like electronics, bike tires and porcelain.

Accepted payment methods:
Cash, check, and any credit cards other than Diner's Club

Inventory list:

The CHaRM is setup to accept payment at a drive-up window before you unload your vehicle. If you are bringing more than you will be able to remember at the window (that's great!!), we recommend making a list of items that require a recycling fee to help the process.

• Must be the size of a five-gallon bucket or larger but must also be less than 3 feet by 3 feet (can be cut to meet these dimensions).

• In some cases, these plastics may not be marked with a #2, so look for them to be opaque with a matte finish and hollow inside. They are made with a mold, so will likely have a seam where two halves were joined.

• Non-plastic parts must be removed, including straps, padding and fabric. Items requiring disassembly will be charged a $5 fee.

• NO flower pots without a #2, inflatable pools or other inflatable plastics, water beds, chew toys, CD jewel cases, small toys such as action figures, etc.

• NO insulated plastic coolers

Coroplast Political Yard Signs (corrugated plastic)

• $3 facility fee applies

• metal stands can be recycled as scrap metal at the CHaRM at no extra charge

Fire Extinguishers

• Boulder Residents with ID: No additional charge

• Non-Boulder Residents: $7

Paper Shredding Service

• Paper materials only

• $10 per file box

Eco-Cycle provides a locked bin for residents and businesses to drop off documents for shredding at the CHaRM. A mobile shredding company comes every other Friday to shred the papers. We do not offer certificates of destruction. Vehicles that come to CHaRM are charged $3.00 per visit in addition to any per item fees. Call 303-444-6634 for more information or visit www.ecocycle.org/charm.

Small quantities of paper that is already shredded is also accepted as compost at the CHaRM. The facility fee will apply.

ZERO WASTE TIP: Rip it, Don’t Shred It!

Please avoid shredding paper whenever possible. Shredding shortens the paper fibers and therefore cuts the recycled life of paper in half. Instead, consider ripping off sensitive elements of your documents and shredding or ripping only that piece, leaving the rest of the page whole.

Scrap Metal, Single-Stream Recycling & Compost

Scrap Metal

Items at least 50% metal, including appliances

• Items without Freon®: no charge

• Items WITH Freon®: $15

• Cables and wire

Items that contain Freon® must, by state law, have the Freon chemicals removed by a professional before disposal. The $15 fee helps the CHaRM cover these costs. Items with Freon include refrigerators, air conditioners, dehumidifiers and freezers.

IF YOU HAVE EMPTY TANKS AND CYLINDERS: CHaRM accepts helium tanks. Bring them to the CHaRM but do NOT place them in the scrap metal bin. Please let the person at the CHaRM window know what you have and they will direct you to a special collection area at CHaRM.NO O2, CO2, or Acetylene tanks. For O2, CO2, and Acetylene tanks, please contact local welding supply stores.

NO oil or fuel in motors

NO batteries

NO TANKS WITH ANY LIQUID OR GAS. Please remove all gas caps from mowers or other related equipment.

Why is there a $3 facility fee?

The CHaRM is financially subsidized by three partners: the city of Boulder, Eco-Cycle and dedicated recyclers like you. In these difficult economic times, the city of Boulder and Eco-Cycle are not able to cover the cost increases for CHaRM services without you, our third partner.

The benefit of the facility fee is economic and environmental. Some visitors to the CHaRM come in a virtually empty car just to drop off a bit of white block foam or a small bundle of plastic bags. We don’t want the environmental gains of the CHaRM to be negated by the carbon emissions of vehicles, so our hope is that the fee will encourage recyclers to economize their trips to the CHaRM by storing their materials until they have one big load.

THREE WAYS TO SAVE on the facility fee at the CHaRM:

We know times are hard for you, too, so we have three suggestions for saving on the facility fee.

> Frequent Recycler Card: Purchase this virtual card that gives you five trips for $10, saving $1 per visit. The card doesn’t expire, and we keep a record of it at the CHaRM, so it’s Zero Waste and you won’t lose it.

> Carpool: Pool your materials together with your neighbors’ and friends’, so you only have to pay one facility fee.

> Bike it in: If you are one of the many recyclers who visit us on a bike, you will not be charged a facility fee. (Fees to recycle specific materials, such as electronics, bike tires and porcelain, will still apply.)

There will be no charge for customers dropping off only single-stream recycling or scrap metal.

CHaRM Collection Events in Other Communities

Typically once a year or more, Eco-Cycle offers residents of Boulder County the opportunity to drop off, at their local recycling center, hard-to-recycle materials typically accepted only at the CHaRM. We call these events "Hard-to-Recycle Round-Ups."

Materials collected during hard-to-recycle events cannot be left at drop-off centers other than the CHaRM at any other time. The CHaRM facility in Boulder is open to all residents and businesses, regardless of origin, so if you can't make the next hard-to-recycle roundup or you need to recycle any of these materials throughout the year, you are always welcome to do so at the CHaRM.